We Are Headed to Court

President Announces Plan to Reconfigure National Monuments
President Trump formally reconfigured two big national monuments in southern Utah on Monday, shrinking them by more than 2 million acres and establishing five smaller units within them — a public lands declaration unlike any ever made by a U.S. chief executive. “You know how best to take care of your land,” the president said to a large audience at the Utah state Capitol. “You know best how to conserve this land for generations.” http://bit.ly/2ARBb3r – Los Angeles Times

Archaeology Southwest Files Suit alongside Patagonia and Other Conservationists to Contest the President’s Executive Orders on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante
Apparel maker Patagonia Inc. sued President Donald Trump over his decision to reduce the size of the Bears Ears national monument in Utah in a case joined by conservation and preservation groups. The retailer claims Trump’s Dec. 4 decision to substantially reduce the size of Bears Ears —  to about 220,000 acres from 1.4 million acres — exceeds his authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act. Patagonia has been considered an “activist company” nearly since it was started in 1973 by climber Yvon Chouinard. Patagonia and the groups are seeking a court order blocking the move, according to papers filed late Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington. The suit is at least the fifth to be filed in the wake of Trump’s announcement. Other suits were by environmental groups and Native American tribes. https://bloom.bg/2BrewMh – Bloomberg News

House Committee Responds to Patagonia
The House Natural Resources Committee ripped outdoor retailer Patagonia on Friday, saying the company was lying to the public about President Trump’s decision to cut the size of two national monuments in Utah. The committee tweeted out an image that mocked Patagonia’s announcement that it would sue the administration over the decision.  http://bit.ly/2BqGDeR – The Hill

A Monumental Blow to Tribes
This week brought a heavy blow to several tribal communities, and no doubt many more conservationists, in the West, as President Donald Trump declared he intends to shrink two national monuments in Utah. Both Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments are set to be significantly reduced. The reduction of Bears Ears in particular, which will lose more than one million acres under Trump’s proposal, was a sizable step back for the relationship between the federal government and tribes. http://bit.ly/2Bs5OO6 – Indian Country News

Editorial: The President’s Actions Constitute a Historic Injustice
We are still reeling from the news that President Trump is attempting to cut the size of the Bears Ears National Monument by 85 percent. By revoking and replacing the monument and leaving two new, separate monuments in its place, the president has effectively attempted to rescind the Bears Ears National Monument that was the result of almost a decade of local, tribal and federal cooperation. http://bit.ly/2BwqHYm – Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: End the Antiquities Act
President Trump’s reductions to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments are unsurprisingly controversial. Local communities that have decried the monuments’ effects on their economies and livelihoods are sure to rejoice; monument advocates will rue the loss. At this point, both sides should agree that the president holds too much power over national monuments. The Antiquities Act may have served an important purpose in its early history, but now that the American West is populated and antiquities are preserved by a smattering of federal and state laws, the time has come for the Antiquities Act to retire. http://bit.ly/2BrWp90 – Deseret News

Editorial: Looting Public Lands
The protections put in place over the last half-century by both political parties to guarantee Americans clean air, clean water and bountiful open space have been coming apart at the seams since President Trump took office. The last few weeks have been particularly brutal for conservationists and, indeed, anyone who believes that big chunks of America’s public lands, however rich they may be in commercial resources, are best left in their natural state. http://nyti.ms/2AVLlQI – New York Times

Editorial: Bears Ears Is Still Bears Ears, and It Is Here for Good
Bears Ears, first and foremost, is indigenous land. It is a place essential to the physical, spiritual and cultural identity of the Hopi, Zuni, Ute and Navajo Nations. Before the advent of European settlers in the West, these peoples were here. They lived and flourished in the curvilinear canyons of red and orange labyrinthine rock in what is now Utah. People made their homes and offered their prayers around the green areas of the high elevations near the twin buttes that lend the area its name. This is also land for which hard-fought protections were won just recently. It was designated a national monument in 2016 after a long campaign of indigenous leadership, advocacy and the assertion of tribal sovereignty. But on Monday, the Trump administration announced it would slash the size of that monument by 85 percent.  http://nyti.ms/2iMhAr2 – Angelo Baca via the New York Times

Why Monument Status Matters
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s drastic shrinkage of the Bears Ears National Monument boundaries, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert told his constituents in a Deseret News op-ed that they needn’t worry about looters or drillers plundering the place because several layers of protective laws already cover the federal land there. Besides, he wrote, “Mineral resources beneath Bears Ears are scarce. There is no developable oil and gas.” http://bit.ly/2BqUFwL – High Country News

The Usual Suspects Putting our Cultures and Shared Heritage at Risk
A uranium company launched a concerted lobbying campaign to scale back Bears Ears National Monument, saying such action would give it easier access to the area’s uranium deposits and help it operate a nearby processing mill, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and top Utah Republicans have said repeatedly that questions of mining or drilling played no role in President Trump’s announcement Monday that he was cutting the site by more than 1.1 million acres, or 85 percent. Trump also signed a proclamation nearly halving the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which is also in southern Utah and has significant coal deposits. http://wapo.st/2iQad25 – Washington Post

The President’s Actions Are an Assault upon Humanity
Monday, 4 December, in a much anticipated announcement, US President Donald Trump called for the reduction of Bears Ears National Monument by 84%, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by 50%. This is just the latest in a series of assaults on cultural heritage under this administration. In October President Trump announced that the US would pull out of Unesco. It was disheartening, to say the least. This was not an decision that went un-remarked. Many cultural groups and institutions have condemned the attacks, and both the Washington Post and the Guardian have discussed how this move is part of a larger pattern of protectionism and withdrawal from the international community – at a time when, arguably, we need international cooperation more than ever, with 21st century issues such as climate change crossing national borders. http://bit.ly/2BqIosl – The Guardian

The Monumental Mess Is Part of a Century-Long American Debate
But, while Trump’s actions tread new legal ground, the underlying tensions at play in this current battle over America’s public lands stretch back more than a century. At the heart of these tensions lies both a shared sense of pride in America’s so-called natural cathedrals and a fundamental disagreement over how land use should be regulated. http://bit.ly/2AUfJe7 – Christian Science Monitor

Digging into Baseball History in Bisbee AZ
The students digging beneath the stands at Bisbee’s Warren Ballpark have unearthed a few artifacts that provide a glimpse into what life was like for fans of the century-old ballpark: firearm cartridges, broken glass bottles, bus tokens. Robert Schon, an associate professor of archaeology at the University of Arizona, leads the archaeological dig, which includes both high school and college students. He said he started the project to establish a better picture of what the local economy looked like during the early 1900s.  http://bit.ly/2iNJYt4 – Cronkite News Serive

Archaeology, Pottery, and Basketry at Pueblo Grande Museum
Enjoy the January weather with a variety of outdoor and indoor programming at Pueblo Grande Museum for all ages and interests. Archaeology classes, pottery crafts for kids, and Pima basket demonstrations are just a few of the wonderful things to explore at the ancient heart of Phoenix. Register for paid programs at pueblogrande.com or through the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department at http://phoenix.gov/parks/classes-and-programs.

A History of Preservation Advocate G. G. George
G.G. George, the Phoenix author of the new book, “The Arizona State Fair,” has a history of preservation activism dating back to the 1960s and remains an active voice in the historic community today. “G.G. George is the Energizer Bunny of historic preservation,” said Kathryn Leonard, the Arizona State Historic Preservation Officer. Most recent, the Norton House and all of Encanto Park were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This completed a project led by George, the president and founder of the Encanto Citizens Association, and the president of the Phoenix Historic Neighborhoods Coalition, to put the entire Encanto Neighborhood on the National Register, which was started in the 1970s. http://bit.ly/2iP5ayT – Downtown Phoenix Journal

Reminder – Archaeology Café (Tucson): 700 Years Ago in Tucson
On Tuesday, December 12, 2017, at 6:00 p.m., archaeologist Mark Elson will explore “700 years ago in Tucson: Making a Living in the Hohokam Classic Period.” Thanks to archaeological investigations at a number of Classic period sites across the Tucson basin, archaeologists have a better idea of what life was like 700 years ago here in Tucson. Elson will summarize some new knowledge and share his views on what it all might mean. Why did building practices and other aspects of material culture seem to change during this time period? Archaeology Café is held at The Loft Cinema (3233 E. Speedway Blvd). While seating is open and unreserved, we are limited to 98 attendees. The Loft Cinema will issue free tickets on the day of the Café. You can pick up tickets from the box office anytime that day. (Limit two tickets per person.) http://bit.ly/2AUoAwj – Archaeology Southwest

Employment Opportunity: Preservation Outreach Coordinator – Tucson
This position coordinates and implements Archaeology Southwest’s cultural heritage site protection activities. The Preservation Outreach Coordinator is a key member of the preservation team. She/He provides leadership in working to protect the cultural heritage—archaeological sites, historic buildings, and cultural landscapes—of the Greater Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah). In cooperation with staff Preservation Archaeologists, the Preservation Outreach Coordinator will identify and evaluate what places are important, where they are located, and how to protect them. She/He works regularly with a diverse array of individuals, tribal, local, state and federal government agencies, and volunteers. Building and maintaining collaborative relationships with diverse interest groups and local communities is one measure of success in this position. http://bit.ly/2iIOr3w – Archaeology Southwest

Odd Piece from “Culture Cheat Sheet” – We Know Nothing?
The U.S. is chock-full of breathtaking monuments, impressive parks, and archaeological landmarks. At such sites, structures, formations, and carvings have been etched into the American soil, providing a small glimpse into our country’s storied past. But what you may be surprised to hear is just how little we know about some of the most fascinating archaeological sites in the U.S. http://bit.ly/2BsdHmn – Culture Cheat Sheet

This Game Needs Peer Review
Shadowplay.com is proud to announce the release of their groundbreaking new computer game/simulation “The Anasazi of Chaco Canyon.” The game was created by Kyle Widner, author of a book that shares its title with the new computer game. http://bit.ly/2Btedkc – Digital Journal

Lecture Opportunity – Amerind Foundation, Dragoon AZ
Christine VanPool, PhD, will present Casas Grandes Clothing and Identity on Saturday, January 6, 2018, at 1:00 pm. Medio Period Casas Grandes human effigies portray males and females in different stances and types of clothing. These variances reflect aspects of Casas Grandes gender roles, identity, and ritual. Join Dr. Christine VanPool (University of Missouri) as she examines these differences and provides insight into Casas Grandes culture. VanPool has written extensively on Casas Grandes and Southwestern archaeology, iconography, religion, and archaeological method and theory. Her writings include Signs of the Casas Grandes Shamans and Religion in the Pre-Hispanic Southwest. This program is supported in part by Arizona Humanities.

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Kirt Kempter, Vulcanologist and Field Geologist; Study Leader, Smithsonian Journeys (Antarctica and Iceland) and National Geographic (Around the World tour by private jet); Former Fulbright Scholar; Field research in Costa Rica, Mexico, and New Mexico; Field Geologic Training for NASA Astronaut Candidate Program in New Mexico, who will give a lecture on December 11 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the Mother Earth Father Sky: Perspectives on the Environment of the American West Lecture Series held to honor and acknowledge The New Mexico Environmental Law Center. Admission is by subscription or $15 at the door. No reservations are necessary. Refreshments are served. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt tel: (505) 466-2775; email: southwestseminar@aol.com; website: southwestseminars.org

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Sara Dant, Environmental Historian, Professor of History and Recipient, 2015 and 2017 Sustainability Research Faculty Award, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah;  Co-Author: Encyclopedia of American National Parks; Author: “Selling and Saving Utah: 1945 to Present,” in Utah History; and Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West, who will give a lecture Losing Eden: Avoiding the Great Filter on December 18 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the Mother Earth Father Sky: Perspectives on the Environment of the American West Lecture Series held to honor and acknowledge The New Mexico Environmental Law Center. Admission is by subscription or $15 at the door. No reservations are necessary. Refreshments are served. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt tel: (505) 466-2775; email: southwestseminar@aol.com; website: southwestseminars.org

Thanks again to Cheri Freeman and Brian Kreimendahl for continued help with Southwest Archaeology Today.